What is the pelvic floor anyway?

By Sabrina Nieland, Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist

"If you look at the pelvic bones from below, you can see a hole about the size of a hand palm between the coccyx, pubic bone and the ischial tuberosities. It is precisely this hole that is muscularly filled by our pelvic floor - by the way, it is not only women who have a pelvic floor, men do too!

This muscle is anatomically very complex, it consists of several levels of musculature, which among other things have the task of ensuring our continence. This means that the pelvic floor ensures that we do not lose urine, stool, or pass gas when we do not want to. Conversely, the pelvic floor should open when we want it to - for example, when we go to the toilet or during childbirth, so that the baby can exit the vaginal canal."

Learn more:

• But how do I know if my pelvic floor is working properly?
• If something was wrong with my pelvic floor, I would notice it, wouldn't I?
• I always have a feeling of downward pressure - is this uterine prolapse (falling of the womb)?
• I had a caesarean section, so I don't need to attend postnatal physiotherapy, do I?